Is upgrading to Windows 10 valuable for your business?

November 02, 2015
by Alex Collins, IT Services Consultant

With the release of Microsoft Windows 10, many companies are left wondering – what are the benefits and drawbacks of upgrading, what are the costs, and should they upgrade? At All Covered, we’ve garnered insights to help businesses answer these questions.

Learning from past mistakes

Windows 10 may give some hesitation due to the somewhat negative reception Windows 8 received. Many considered Windows 8 difficult to use, with lots of users feeling confused and alienated by its tile system and lack of a start menu. Numerous companies made the conscious choice not to upgrade to Windows 8; however, Microsoft seems to have learned from this experience, and while Windows 10 still features some prominent tile work, the start menu is back, alleviating the fears and worries of many. The change back to a more conventional Windows layout is just the first of numerous changes Microsoft has made in Windows 10.

Improvements on Windows 8

Windows 10 includes a number of changes that make things easier and safer for businesses, including easier sign in, improved data protection, more refined user access controls, and the ability to easily sync devices (such as cell phones) with Windows. Windows 10 also includes several other notable improvements, including faster boot times, a smaller OS footprint, implementation of Cortana voice assistant into the OS (similar to Apple’s Siri), a new way of more efficiently handling memory, and improved patching and updating.

What about the ability and cost to upgrade to Windows 10?

Most businesses running Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 8.1 should find that Windows 10 requires similar minimum specifications. Almost any software that worked on previous versions of Windows will have no issues running on Windows 10. The cost of upgrading can be a bit complex, but most businesses should find themselves able to upgrade for free – businesses running any version of Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 8.1 (other than the Enterprise editions) will be able to upgrade to Windows 10 at no cost.

Those with Enterprise versions have two options. If you have purchased Software Assurance with your Enterprise version of Windows, you can upgrade for free; otherwise, you can downgrade your Enterprise version to the Pro version and then get the free upgrade. If neither of these options work, you must purchase Windows 10.

If after reading this, the prospect of adopting Windows 10 interests you, you should consider starting user evaluation and rollout in 2016 or 2017, depending on organizational size and needs. Should you have any further questions about Windows 10 or the transition to it, the team at All Covered is happy to answer any and all questions you have – give us a call at 866-446-1133.

Your Trusted Technology Partner

This website uses cookies to enhance your visiting experience on our site. For more details,
or to find out how to disable cookies please follow this link.
Please note that by deleting our cookies or disabling future cookies you may not be able to access certain areas or feature of our site.
By closing this message or starting to navigate on this website, you agree to the usage of cookies.